Governor Ron DeSantis has announced that all 67 school districts that were closed due to Hurricane Idalia and fully reopened today.
“As Hurricane Idalia approached Florida, we worked to ensure schools had what they needed to weather the storm and get back on their feet once it passed,” said DeSantis. “Florida’s preparation and immediate recovery efforts have enabled all school districts to be back open just one week after a major hurricane. Thank you to the superintendents, principals, and teachers who put students first by reopening quickly and safely.”
All school districts that closed due to Idalia have reopened just one week after landfall.
We are thankful for the principals, teachers, school district staff, parents and @EducationFL who worked hard to get our students back in the classroom.— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) September 7, 2023
Since the storm hit, Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr visited Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Suwanee, and Taylor counties to survey damage and speak with superintendents firsthand about the storm.
“We are grateful for all of the hard work it has taken to get these school districts open,” said Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. “This will have a huge impact on our students and communities as they are working to return to normalcy. We will continue to do all we can to aid our school districts as they continue in the recovery process.”
Great to visit with the staff, students and Superintendent Joseph at Lee Elementary School this afternoon. We are glad that Madison County has been able to open schools up this week. pic.twitter.com/JP77d5eZk2
— Manny Diaz Jr. (@CommMannyDiazJr) September 6, 2023
“Our community is grateful for the determination and dedication our school and district staff have shown as well as the assistance we have received from Governor DeSantis, Lieutenant Governor Nuñez, Commissioner Diaz, the Department of Education, and volunteers from across the state and nation,” said Shirley Joseph, Superintendent of Madison County School District.“We are committed to continue supporting our students as they return to the classroom.”
“We are working hard to reopen schools for our students because we know how important a safe and supportive learning environment is,” said Ted Roush, Superintendent of Suwanee County School District.“We appreciate the support we have received from our district personnel and the state and will continue to do all we can for our school community as we recover from Hurricane Idalia.”
Governor DeSantis dispatched the Department of Education to affected counties to aid with the restoration process and to provide guidance and support to the district teams working to reopen schools. A team of operations and facilities staff from the Bay County school district also traveled to Madison County to help clear debris across the district and to share lessons learned from Bay County’s successful reopening efforts after Hurricane Michael.
